Win and you’re in.
That’s the message the College Football Playoff selection committee sent Alabama in the initial playoff rankings released Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide currently ranks No. 11, good enough for a spot in this year’s expanded 12-team playoff.
Alabama (6-2) is the highest two-loss team in the rankings and sits above five one-loss teams including No. 12 Boise State (7-1), No. 13 SMU (8-1), No. 17 Iowa State (7-1), No. 18 Pittsburgh (7-1) and No. 21 Washington State (7-1) as well as undefeated No. 25 Army (8-0).
The Tide’s resume is boosted by a 41-34 victory over No. 3 Georgia as well as a 34-0 win over No. 24 Missouri. Alabama will have a chance to add another ranked win to the mix this Saturday when it travels to No. 15 LSU for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff inside Tiger Stadium.
While Alabama appears to control its playoff destiny, there are still a few potential scenarios where the Tide could be jumped by an upset conference champion. On the flip side, there’s still time for Alabama to improve its playoff standing and climb further up the rankings.
Here’s a look at the teams that can help and hurt the Tide in its playoff push moving forward.